Nikon's new D810 consolidates the older D800 and D800E into a single body with no AA filter on its 36MP CMOS sensor and a range of refinements, both major and minor compared to its predecessors. A few days ago we received a final production sample Nikon D810 and we've been shooting with it intensely ever since. As well as putting it through our initial studio testing, we've also taken a quick look at the effectiveness of the new electronic first-curtain shutter and created a gallery of real-world sample images to show what the camera can do.

Comments

DXO scores show that the noise performance of the D800E is marginally better than that of the D810 whereas the preview says that the D810 is 1 stop better than its predecessor at ISO3200 and above. Do I miss something here or the preview is wrong?

The issue is that the D810 is too good.. The review has been promised several times before, months ago.. It seems there are some changes going on at Dpreview, but they are slowly losing their authority status regarding in depth reviews..

How long do we have to wait for the D810 review !I think that is a shame that DPReview come out first with the D750 review, I understand the pressure Nikon Made for that but now it's time for the D810!Please join me in this request !

Here goes Nikon again with this D750 "issue". Are these people trying to drive customers away intentionally? Good grief. The D600 fiasco. The D800s with focus problems. The recall of early D810s. Now taking the D750 off the shelves? (That's a metaphor since I understand most sales are on the internet now, not brick and mortar stores.) I am so glad that I just got a D810 without waiting for the worthless full review from DPR(Amazon) that never materialized. The D810 is the best DSLR in the world, period. If you don't want 36MP, just change it in the menu to a lower resolution. Use it as a DX camera and get the reach of a 750mm telephoto from a 500. Anything you want. It just does the job, period. Nikon management needs to get their heads in the right place and stop trying to send their customers to Canon. And any credibility that DPR retained from the old days when it was the "go to" site, is gone.

The "D750 issue" is strongly exacerbated. You mostly hear the issues, less about the non effected bodies. Same as the early "white spot issue" of the D810 was a non-issue fixable by a firmware update. When you say that Nikon drives away customers, you are doing the same with your writing.I agree that the D810 is (one of the) best DSLR on the market and that dpreview never delivered the review!

As with most camera "issues", they are rarely noted by actual owners/users of the "affected" camera. Everyone gets bent out of shape when the competition releases something new and exciting that their camera doesn't have. Some people take things too far and LOOK for problems. It's the old "If I can't beat them, I'll beat them down!" mentality.When the autofocus issues with the 5Dii were first being noted, Canonistas harped at each other to keep it quiet. I'm sure these are the same people who jumped on every single Nikon "issue". As noted elsewhere on DPR, not every D600, D750, D800 or D810 was affected by a malady.Be happy with your camera or change. Shoot or shut up. It's worse than kindergarten some days!

Captura, totally agree. The world of photography getting far too noisy(i mean voices), instead of peace and quiet of the art of shooting.

Of course, relatively new to digital, most of past with 4X5. But in the last few years, during research to learn about cameras that might replace my film cameras, it seems most review sites, especially DP Review becoming clogged with so called trolls, nasty negative-for-negative-sake people. Some just defensive to their own brand. Some just hateful people. I applaud DP Review's writers to simply add logic, common sense, and honest opinion. Yet DP Review seems to be the worst for total number of those previously mentioned nasty noisy people.

Is there any, at least one, review/comment sites for mostly pros who truly need a clearer, logical path to new equipment?

Hi Galbertson,Sadly, that dream shall remain a dream. Objectivity when it comes to camera gear is the same as it is in the automotive world. And I see people every day driving certain makes that are notoriously horrible and defending them with a fervor that would make a Templar shudder.As soon as you mention "Review", the trolls attack. I think many of them have Google Alerts setup so they can respond quickly.Your best resource is rarely the internet. Find a retailer and start talking to the staff. Find the person or people who know what you're talking about. And know what they're talking about. The only thing I liked about retail was helping others get the right gear. I'm a Nikon guy but I sold a lot of Canon, Sony, Fuji, etc because this was their gear not mine.Unfortunately, intelligence in retail staff can be almost as elusive as honesty in online reviews :-( But you can find it!

Thanks to my wife, I now own a D810; Merry Christmas! I came from a D7100. Just spent the weekend in NYC, midtown Manhattan. Friday was perfect, but Saturday and Sunday it rained non-stop. The D810 handled all the days flawlessly; the rain had no effect on this new, $3k camera.

My conclusion: forget about 36mp, forget about extra ISO capability; it's just a DSLR, treat it accordingly. If you're used to 24mp, like I am, then 36 is no great leap in resolution--on paper, maybe, but not in the real world. In the real world, it's still the same issues with all other cameras that make or break the shot, and the quality of the lens is where the real action is in any case. Outstanding? Sure. Superior? In every way. Does it matter? Not really.

I purchased a D810 based on this web site's preview and based on several other more reliable (not owned by a retailer) reviewers. After using it for a month or so, I can say that it's a significant improvement over the D800/E, the mirror and shutter assembly are very quiet, and they have fixed the mirror/shutter vibration issue that sometimes caused slight blurring of images at very high magnification. At 36MP, everything has to be just right - lens, camera, technique - or you will see an effect on the image, that would be invisible at 16 or 20 MP.So if anyone is still waiting for DPR before buying this camera, don't wait. It's a great camera, and it does everything Nikon says it does with no bad habits. It's just not a forgiving camera, but I don't suppose that any 36MP full frame camera would be.Regarding rebates, I'm guessing that Nikon's worldwide production of this model doesn't support any rebates. I haven't seen any offered, and I doubt that there will be.

I repeat, I appreciate that it will take time to write a review to the level we expect from DPreview but bloomin heck the 'first impressions was July, and tomorrow in December 1st. Santa realt reallt needs to know what I want!

Hello. I realise that producing the detailed performance analysis that DPreview creates will of course take time, but I am sure many would be keen to see the full D810 review soon. Santa needs to know what I want!

The D810 seems OK, BUT and it is big BUT, looking at the file sizes here the D810 file sizes are so much bigger than the D800/800E's for the same image at the same ISO- i.e. 74.3 MB @100 (D810) as against the 43.6MB @ 100 of the D800E,that there really must be something very odd going on, as this means 4/7ths the number of shots to a card and vastly increased (by 4/7ths again) use of and consumption of Hard Drive Space, plus slower to work with files- that I as a user of Lightroom 4 and Elements 11 am unable to open with even the most recent updates- and I note with bitterness and rancour that Capture NX2 does NOT open D810 RAW files at all.Are the original files here at compressed as against uncompressed? or 12 instead of 14 bit- what IS going on please????

Surely the settings for recorded files are not similar. With "lossless compressed raw" setting, I get files of maximal 45MB with my D810. I suppose yours is set to "Uncompressed raw" instead!Capture NX2 doesn't support the Nikon D810, you can download Capture NX-D instead (which is free) to open the files.

These figures come straight from the above Image Quality compared of the preview! They are Dpreview's own results of the same subject still life (above if you are on the right page of the preview- Studio Scene, Image Comparison tool) with the D810 and D800E set to RAW at 100 ISO. Take a look, the size difference is huge.I do not have an 810, but if I was about to buy one this file size increase would put me off. I have an i7 with 16Gb ram and its just about enough with the 800's files. With the 810 you'll need 24Gb or 32Gb Ram to be as efficient, surely?

Surely they have the D800E and D810 at different settings then in their test. I checked my files and although I have some raw's of 50MB (fine details), most of them are around 40-45MB at full resolution and the camera set to "lossless compressed raw".

Another thing that is not correct in this preview is that for AE bracketing a maximum difference between shots is specified as 1EV, my D810 clearly is able to shoot 5 shots at 2EV difference!Seems like the preview was somewhat rushed and now we are still waiting for the full review..

In the October the 29th newsletter Barney says he is "writting the conclusion to the review", and now saying in today's most recent newsletter that he is "putting the finishing touches".

Even though I mostly agree with lorenzo, I really wonder whether dpreview would support the claim of less shake -due to the new mirror box mechanism and shutter- with some scientific methods, if there exist any, and set forth how much difference there is. So far other user and website reviews lack these aspects-- they merely say there is less shake..

DPR has really dragged their feet getting this review out, for unknown reasons. Oh well, that's life with Nikon. There are enough user reviews and reviews on other sites similar to DPR, that whatever Barney has to say now will be quite irrelevant.

No, it does not take ages to compile full review. Much of its data already out, well tested. It truly odd such an important camera to many photographers would be on hold to review. Then throw in lack of full review of D750, another great camera.

Christmas marketing season here NOW.

Hey, DPR very large corpoate linked company, most reviews are in some way.

Maybe Canon putting delay on Nikon full reviews, knowing full well how D750 and D810 would eat into early Christmas purchases.

I've just learned that dpreview is owned by amazon.com, and now I can clearly see why the review has not been published yet. Apparently they want to deliberately coincide the review with the Holiday Season to increase the sales.

While doing this, in today's newsletter they, again, state that they "are putting finishing touches to our review of the Nikon D810". They have been putting those magic touches for almost a month!! If I were them, I would not mention anything about D810 in those newsletters because they are acting us as if we are fools. What a shame!

Mg428Wow, rather depressing news. Easy to imagine how Amazon.com would compile great intellect to manipulate camera sales. If true that Nikon difficult to deal with, can imagine why DP Review/Amazon.com holds back on D810/D750 reviews. As it stands, Nikon has two great cameras, easy buys for large number of photographers.

January 2015, and no full review. Totally rediculous. I have rather enjoyed DPReview in past years, but honestly sense they getting lost in upper managment, not serving their photographers in need of timely data and testing...certainly on Nikon D810.

I just purchased the D810 and started to compare it with my D800. By first feel, there are quite a few differences, so I think this upgrade is indeed, a quite significant one.

The grip is much more secure, the Metering button relocation makes sense, the BKT is also easy to reach, the new LCD is brighter and sharper, the viewfinder display is also better and clear looking, the ISO performance is better, the camera's shutter is MUCH more quiet, the processing is faster and so is the auto-focus and the frame-rate, which in DX mode is plenty enough for general sports photography even.

Though the D810 looks more or less as a D800, yet, I feel as the two are not the same at all. Like the D810 was/is a different and much better camera.

I'm probably going to try and sell my D800 if I can for a reasonable price, but it may be a challenge right now due to D810 and the D750.

Downside: So far, the one and only issue I see is "purple" tones on the images in the dark areas.

Thanks for your personal input! But why do you think the images are a little purple in the blacks? I know with the D750, i was experiencing greenish tints on my images in the LCD monitor. So I changed my brightness, but then found the problem to be a WB problem. This purple-ish tint isn't a problem like that, is it?

Wonder as to when we can expect an in-depth review of the D810. Afterall the preview was in July and it is now... October! There was a time that DPReview "shined" in this respect. Just an observation...

I am especially interested in dpreview's observation or even better technical analysis comparing D800/E and D810 in terms of camera shake due to the new mirror box and shutter mechanism employed in D810. So far other reviews or users say it is better, but we don't know how much better. I believe we cannot know this unless some technical analysis including solid numbers is carried out.

My primary reason to buy D810 is its electronic first curtain for best IQ. But I shoot mostly in live view exposure preview and above review states electronic first curtain not available in live view. How might that effect my IQ? Is there a workaround? I normally shoot 4X5, enjoying taking my time to get to image i want.

@Galbertson:To use EFC in live view1. Activate EFC in the menu 2. Switch to MLU mode on the upper left dialThen activate the shutter TWICE:1. First time to reset the sensor,2. Second time to take the picture.If you set exposure delay to e.g. 2 seconds, you only need to press once, as far as I know.

Hflm.Thanks much for you answer. My guess i would use 2 second delay to keep any finger on shutter button movement. Can it be sent forlonger delay? Of course, i maybe could use remote release...but would prefer shutter delay to keep process simpler.

Hflm,I forgot to mention before shuttering will be in live exposure preview. I only use lcd, only in full manual mode, much preferring to see constant effect on image as i juggle preferences of shutter speed(1/4-1/15 second mostly), ISO! And f stop. I am often critisized for not using evf and graphs/histograms. Just how I prefer to shoot.

In other words, can i use your technique if I am in live exposure preview?

Could anyone tell me process to use older AI/AIS manual lenses? I know perameters of lens must be set in non lens menu. Does save data for my 24, 35 and 105mm lenses? Is/can data be recalled by camera buttons?

I handled a D750 yesterday for a couple of minutes. I was considering it to replace my D700. But that is not going to work for me.It felt so much smaller and less comfortable in my hands. Also the finder seemed much dimmer and smaller (don't know if that is only my perception).In all the D700 is in a totally different class. So I am looking at the D810 again, even though the 36MB files are a bit too much for my taste.

I've been looking for something to replace my D700's and, when I saw what the D750 was, bought a D810. It's early days but I haven't been disappointed so far. I used the 810 alongside a 700 at a wedding last week and, when post-processing, I have been surprised how much nicer (less noise, and obviously far more definition and a greater ability to crop) the D810 files are. So much so, in fact, that I'm thinking of selling both 700s and buying another 810. File size is a bit of an issue but the advantages brought by the newer camera in terms of picture quality significantly outweigh this issue, at least IMO - YMMV. One thing - a Sigma 35mm 1.4 doesn't seem as sharp on the D810 so I'm going to have to look into that. One other advantage that occurs to me - the quieter shutter is a godsend!

The 36MP files (35-45MB) of the D810 (D800) are not to much at all!I came from D300 which has the same 12MP as the D700. I am very happy with the resolution of the D810. Even with a significant crop there is still more resolution left then with 12MP.Buy a 4TB drive (only US$149) and you can store around 100K photo's..

Do not have d810 in hand...yet. Have downloaded both d810 and d750 users manual. The d750 seems to have limitations in Live View mode regarding live exposure preview. It will not totally show image in all scenarios, such as extreme low light. Has anyone compare the two cameras Live View exposure preview differences? I rarely use histogram, preferring to see my manual settings on lcd.

I don't know what you are doing with your lens in the studio test, but you are not getting the maximum out of the Nikon D800E/D810 compared to other AA filter equipped sensor cameras, the D800 being the first example. One does have to have the right glass and the correct technique to get these AAlfree sensors to really shine and you are not accomplishing this. Done correctly with the right glass and the difference is HIGHLY visible at 100%. DxO Mark rates the resolution increase at 30% and it is definitely visible in many other comparisons. Something is not right in your testing...

My question is not directed toward general iPhone users, nor is it directed toward general D810 users, but to the many, many D810 users who have experience with external monitors and might understand technical data within present and the future iPhone about it's compatability as external monitor. That question fits this forum much better than on Apple forums.

If a iPhone buyer knew of this, he would not rush out to buy a $3,500 camera...but if a D810 owner knew the $150 iPhone he had or could soon buy would work as external, he just might rush out to buy.

I will be buying D810 soon. Have researched external monitors. If iPhone worked as external monitor, i would wait to buy new iPhone 8.

No exposure preview??? In specs it states it has Live View preview. I would not contemplate this camera if I could not see my shutter speed/f stop/ISO settings before capture.

Quite some time ago, rejected purchase of Nikon D5300 because it did not have live view preview, only histogram before capture. I believe most, perhaps all, pro level FF cameras have live view preview. The D810 certainly a pro camera.

Will certainly dig into this, need to confirm before i purchase.

BUT, maybe you were referring to lack of live exposure preview in D610, which is true. Have yet to hear of any camera that live view preview added with update.

Nice to hear D750 has it, amongst other improvements over D610. Might even sway away from D810...but D750 has AA filter.

Hmm, when i consult the studio scene, the IQ of the D800E is better than that of the D810. I would expect the IQ of the D810 should be better. It is clear when you compare the test charts at the left and bottom corners. Is this a result of this special setup, I can't imagine that the D810 performance is below the D800E.

The raw processing software manufacturers take some time to really get the most out of the conversion, so while it is supported now it should get better over time. I'm a D800E owner and I would expect to see a very small difference in favour of the D810 after a few months.

@RichyjVRAW is the RAW data, from the sensor and needs no big conversions, once the data I captured, I compared the raw data. The process which is constantly improved is the jpg-conversion. Off course all processes are improved, but the raw data is the data the sensor delivers, without fundamental conversions.

Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me, in this studio scene, that the IQ of the D810 is worse than the IQ of the D800E and even other cameras.

I have already a "Nikon based raw converter" I own the D800E and I've downloaded the RAW-files of D810, D800E and compared them. But I can't see much difference in IQ between them.

Besides that, what is the advantage in buying for a higher price a camera, which has no advantages in IQ, no matter, if the camera or the raw converter is responsible or not, if the user is not able to benefit from the higher price.

@Mike4Black LR4 vs CNX2 (it's into german, my bad - but you can see the sample comparsions) http://www.foto-just.de/vgl_raw.0.html

@Coliban That's a very good question from you, indeed. Besides the slightly detail improvements of the D810, your D800E is a very good DSLR. My best Nikon currently is only a DX-based D7000, and i have a FF A7 Sony, too. The D810 is no revolution,but a slightly evolution of the D800(E) concept. When you compare the D800E & D810, they're way close together with DxOMark, for some ppl it's worth to upgrade to the D810 because of many minor enhancements. Enjoy your great D800E Nikon.

The difference of D800E to D810 is there, but requires the best lenses to be visible. I subscribed to diglloyd.com. He has a very thorough test comparing both. The D810 is slightly sharper (could be sensor filter stack), but it's very close. The main advantage is autofocus improvement, LCD, EFCS amongst others. I really like my D810 and have problems now using our D610 or XT1, as the D810t is just mazing in most respects and the other cameras feel like toys compared to it.

I am accustome d to large, heavy tripods for my 4X5. Since D810 has mirror up and electronic first curtain, can i use a much lighter tripod? I am used to working slowly, giving time for camera to settle down. Also will only be shooting 24-105mm lenses. How light can i go and still make full IQ of 36 mp?

My guess if i purchased light Sony A7R, would need my 4X5 tripod to settle down its agressive shutter shake.

OK DPR we've been patient. it's been 2 + months since the this first impressions review was published. Where is the review? Have you found something that Nikon would not like to see in print? Have politics intervened? Are you just overworked? Understaffed? What could it be that delays publishing the test results of this marvel?

May be DPR will be more cautious before giving 80+!Because after DPR giving Gold Ratings to FUJI FILM XT1--light leak discovered--same is happened in case of NIKON 610D--even some users complains about 610 WHEN THEY TRAVEL TO HIMALAYAS--

Viz. the lab report: To me it looks like the raw images of the D810 are the same as the raw images of the D800. This should not be so. I would like to suggest that dpreview stop using the 50mm lenses of Canon, Nikon and Sony and use the 55mm Zeiss Otus instead on tests of all 3 brands. This is not a lens test. It purports to be a sensor test. How can it be a sensor test when the D8xx sensors outresolve Nikon's 50mm lenses by a far margin? I guess people who upgrade to 810 also have Zeiss lenses and they would like to see what more they will get from the 810 that they do not already have in the D800 (e). If time permits: The Zeiss 15mm, 50mm and 135mm would be good choices. ( I only have the 35mm F2 ). This test would also show us what more we get from 36 Mpix that we do not already have from the 20-24 Mpix range. ( I have a good idea - but that is not a professional's opinion ).

Your comment is well taken, if the sensor outpaces the lens, then a test is pointless. Also, a single lens across all platforms would rule out differences being attributable to having used different lenses. Very important to control this source of review error. I hope DP takes your advice. And as I seriously hesitate to buy without having had an in-depth review by DP, sure would be nice to see it soon!!!

Cameralabs has a very good comparison: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_vs_Tamron_24-70mm_comparison/. I tested both, find the Nikon focuses faster and behaved better when shooting into the sun. As to DXO: look at the curves: Tamron is better for wide angle shots, wheres Nikon takes over from 50-70mm, so depends on your needs.Another thing: if you want to use fine tuning, only ONE lens of a non-Nikon company can be tuned. All others use the same preset (or you remember it and set it to the desired value everytime you shoot). In case you add a macro or other lens, it's good to know that.

I know i will need to get into menu to set up for non cpu lenses. Do i have to go back into menu every time i change lenses, or does connections and memory in camera remember the lens attached? It would be frustrating and time consuming if have to dive into menu to make settings every lens change. If so, might be forced to buy new set of lenses.

Concerning Lab Report No 10.What does this say (if anything) about shutter vibration caused sharpness issues when using a shutter speed higher than 1/80 sec? Will a higher shutter speed eliminate the shutter vibration caused sharpness issues? if so, at what shutter speed will all vibration issues be eliminated?orAre there shutter vibration issues at all shutter speeds, and the only way to eliminate them is by using the mirror up mode ?

All I'm going to say is that after nearly a month, this is a special, no, exceptional DSLR. Really great. All of the issues associated with the D800E have just been solved. The camera just works.

Some user impressions here: http://wp.me/p2wMAg-C5

Pity that in true DPR fashion we have plenty of people with sour grapes everywhere on this comments section. I guess that is what it is. However, if people get put off by that they are missing a treat...

Thank you for your experienced reply. Also for your user website. Gives me good reasons to purchase. Interesting that there is only overall complimentary websites on D810, but only in DP Review so many have no better thing do do but bash the camera. The more great cameras, the more griping trolls.

@Galbertson: I'm not sure if your commentas directed at mine, but if it was, you misunderstood me by a country mile. I wasn't bashing the 810, nor your praise for it, at all. It happens a lot on the net.The 810 is an incrementally better camera than the 800/E on every imagineable front. At least, that's my opinion after having tried it a few times.

Sorry, my poor eyesight mistakenly responded, intended for sgoldswo. I have .been noticing how many positive responses to the D810.. It has every single function i need to at times replace my 4X5. The only thing missing is articulating LCD. But would get 5" external monitor. Its peeking feature would help me see for focus, apparently not available on camera. Still will need my magnifiers to help me read words of menu. I do not have central "target" eyesight, but compose with perifera portion. Not easy, and needing assisting tools to improve camera operation.

The tactile feel and function of contols and buttons tremendously important, the D810 appear excellent, but will only know when in my hands. I have had many cameras in my hands, can honestly say Fuji X-T1 has buttons for baby fingers, tiny and no sense of activation. Cannot afford to make that mistake.

Yes, I noticed in some other entries that your eyesight is impaired; you're not to be envied for that. My father was an enthousiast photographer, and when at 75-80 his eyesight went, it took a lot out of him. I admire how you're coping. Difficulties are put in your way to overcome them I suppose.

The D810 is an excellent camera, and I hope and expect it will work for you like that.

No, I had the 800, and now have the 800E, not the 810, but I'm guessing they work the same in that respect. You select image quality (f.i. Raw + Jpeg) and primary and secondary card selection. Maybe in the 810 you can choose a combination of high res and lower res Raw, and send to cf and sd respectively; you'd have to look in the menu.

Mike,Appreciate your more than you might image. Have studied in depth the world of blindness. For some fortunate reason, my compositions have refined and matured. Magic happens I guess.

D810 question...if shooting hi res raw image, can i set up camera to automatically load a low res jpeg into CF card? Or do I have to go into menu to set the camera, then shoot the same image again? My hi res files for large printing use. The low res jpegs for web , cataloging and emailing. I have a good fried who does my post work, but I would hope to not depend on him to downsize from raw files for my low res use, would hope to download jpegs directly from camera to my iPad.

MikeDarnit, sorry didnt catch your answer to my question.One thing about loss of eyesight is screwing up...just something to get accustomed to. I might call tech support to confirm. Camera still ideal for me.

Have you seen the moiré on the tests? Look at the close-up of the b-w picture on the left. It is a deal breaker for me. The Canon does not have such an issue. The picture is completely clean.

The most worrying is that it is also present for the D800 and D800E.

BTW I am not a Canon troll. I am a real Nikon fan since decades. I and have bought several Nikon bodies so far plus several lenses, and no Canon. But moiré puts me really off. I am not talking about video where the amount of moiré is ridiculous.

i wonder why they make the sample shoots with all this zooms and not with a good prime ! I got my D810 on the first day it was released, just can tell you the samples here showed on DP are not the max you can get out of this camera !

"i wonder why they make the sample shoots with all this zooms and not with a good prime !" Ans: My guess is to hit the widest available market, and because if the camera needs a top lens (crutch), then it is not such a good camera. They need to show where the capability of the camera ends and to do that, they need to test the camera, not the lens.

I have reservations about the "Real World" sample photos presented here. What are the sample photos suppose to illustrate? Good looking pictures does not mean anything for evaluating the camera performance because there is no basis of comparison. As for the processed RAW, what does it proved regarding the camera capability? If the purpose is to illustrate the dynamic range, then the three or four samples illustrate the shortcoming of this D810. I have gotten better results of high and varying lighting condition from my D800 than the samples shown in this review. It seems to me that the shooter did not set the HDR properly.

Is the purpose of the sample photos is to compare the D810 against the D800 and D800E, then why not make a side-by-side shots from all three cameras? The comparison to the Canon camera shows the lack of knowledge by the tester because there is no common and controlled basis of comparison. Moreover, it is not relevant.

@Inthe Mist - In the 2003-2006, DPR used to present a side-by-side photos of subject taken by cameras being compared against one another. Shots were of identical setting from identical lenses. Test charts were also used. The side-by-side photos illustrates the tester's point and removed reliance on memories. As I recall, the photographs were NOT post processed. . . I wonder if you recall those times.

Oh yes, REAL WORLD photos of outdoor scenes, bridges, buildings, lakes/rivers/mountains, sporting events . . . name it. The point is the "side-by-side" comparison of JPEG files right off the camera. While you did not mention RAW, I have nothing against raw files, only that I prefer to compare the ability of the camera on the consumer's view point. Of course D800/800E/810 are not for the average consumer who thinks that raw applies to how their food is prepared.

For some reason the D810 isn't as sharp as the A7R and contrast isn't as defined. I thought DPReview used the same lens for these tests? idk but can definitely see a difference. Weird. I'm also surprised at how much moire the D810 is generating compared to the A7R.

"DPReview.com is kindly brought to you by the Nikon Corporation."This blatant infomercialising should be beneath this site. It really is beyond insulting. Why should we have any other reviews? I mean, it's not like any other camera in history has ever been as important as the D810.

Without focus peeking, how would i see expanded areas before shootin to see total focus area in broad landscapes? I have limited eyesight and use 15X loupe to see focus on my 4X5.

I have read(i cannot see to read, only recognizing word shape with large magnifier, but use Voicr Over on iPad to speak the words) that external monitors have image peeking. That might be the answer...yes?

I'm looking for how the D810 moves groups of focus points around like the D200, D300, and D700 do. It is advertized but there is not a sign of it here. I do hope this really is included in the full review, because it is a huge factor in photography.The Group AF option on a D700 is excellent and so much easier to use than any of Canon's slow two-stage options. It will be the biggest factor in purchase options for many, as mis-focussing is inevitable on occasion when you have zero AF control of where the focus goes, as with the D800(E) and D7100. I am certainly hoping Nikon supply a firmware fix, as that would be easy using the pad that only works ( and so slowly!) using manual focus (and just one point).

This is more important than anything else! As to moire, well, I get moire with my D800 quite often.It's a normal occurrence.Had I known, I would have an E got! Using Capture NX2 I remove it, so moire is a non-issue except for video, and well you can just defocus a little?

best SLR camera out there IQ wise, if you are a spray and pray sport photographer, then you have D4s or 1dxBut for now, there are no competition regarding , metering, resolution, DR, AF, etc etc. Nice work Nikon

I have not seen a D810. I am curious about comments made regarding vibration at some shutter speeds with the D800(E) models. What are these shutter speeds please, as I have no VR lenses yet have not ever seen this phenomenon using a D800. I have had blurred due to my movement and/or subject movement. And blurred due to the lens being imperfectly focussed, but nothing as described here that I can see.

Nikon removed the filters as at this magnification you can see that everything is slightly off-at all speeds. That said I have not ever been able to detect a visible difference in resolution-just micro-contrast and acuity.tight 0.2 pixel @ 400% USM deals with that.